Santa Monica College suspect shot and killed by self-inflicted gunshot after barricade in Hawthorne, police confirm

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) — A Santa Monica College employee shot and critically injured a colleague on Monday. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot a day later as authorities caught up with him in Hawthorne, officials said.

On Tuesday evening, authorities identified the deceased suspect as Davon Durell Dean, 39, an SMC employee who has been arrested but not convicted for violent incidents in the past

According to the school, the first shooting occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Monday at the school’s Center for Media and Design on Stewart Street.

The victim, a detained plant manager whose name was not released, was hospitalized in critical condition.

The college’s police chief, Johnnie Adams, said the shooting was a “horrific act of workplace violence” and not a random act.

Santa Monica police officers were able to identify Dean as the shooter. On Tuesday afternoon, Hawthorne police officers spotted Dean’s vehicle near El Segundo Boulevard and Aviation Boulevard.

After a short chase, officers used a PIT maneuver to stop his car. A barricade situation ensued and at one point Dean turned his gun on himself, police said.

SWAT officers continued to remain cautious after his weapon fired. They remained in the armored SWAT vehicle and extended a long tool to break the window and remove the weapon before attempting to confirm the suspect’s death.

Santa Monica police say Dean was arrested in 2011 for attempted murder and in 2019 for assault with a deadly weapon, a firearm. However, his record only contains convictions for negligent property crimes, police said.

All seven Santa Monica College campuses were closed Tuesday as a precautionary measure.

“To help our community during this very difficult time, SMC will…offer counseling and mental/emotional support,” said SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery in a message to the school community. “At this heartbreaking time, I urge all of us to come together in kindness and compassion as we navigate this unspeakable tragedy.”

Residents said that while the incident worried them, they did not necessarily feel a sense of increased danger in the neighborhood.

“What happened here is obviously a tragedy wherever it happens,” one resident said. “But living in the area, being a neighbor and walking through this neighborhood regularly, I always feel safe. I never feel unsafe. I don’t think anything will change.”